Summer diet of the narwhal (Monodon monoceros) in Pond Inlet, northern Baffin Island

1982 ◽  
Vol 60 (12) ◽  
pp. 3353-3363 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Finley ◽  
E. J. Gibb
Keyword(s):  
Age Groups ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Polar Cod ◽  
Greenland Halibut ◽  
Arctic Cod ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Monodon Monoceros ◽  
Measured Weight ◽  
Greenland Halibut Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides

Stomach contents of 73 narwhals (Monodon monoceros) taken in Pond Inlet during June to September 1978–1979 were examined. Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) and Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) comprised 51% and 37%, respectively, of the diet by weight. Arctic cod contributed 57% in 1978 but only 29% in 1979. Squid (Gonatus fabricii) beaks were abundant but not representative of recent intake. Deepwater fish (halibut, redfish (Sebastes marinus), and polar cod (Arctogadus glacialis)), found primarily in male narwhals, indicate a deep diving (>500 m) capability. The largest measured weight of stomach contents was 10.1 kg and weights projected from otoliths did not exceed 19.6 kg. No selection of prey items by size was evident amongst various sex and age groups of narwhals. Feeding was most intensive at the ice edge and ice cracks but little feeding took place in the fiords during late summer. Blubber thickness declined in females but not in males during the summer. The significance of traditional summering areas appears to be related to calving requirements and not to feeding opportunities.

Variability in the Diet of Ringed Seals, Phoca hispida, in Alaska

1980 ◽  
Vol 37 (12) ◽  
pp. 2254-2261 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lloyd F. Lowry ◽  
Kathryn J. Frost ◽  
John J. Burns
Keyword(s):  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Beaufort Sea ◽  
Boundary Region ◽  
Early Summer ◽  
Phoca Hispida ◽  
Arctic Cod ◽  
Ringed Seals ◽  
Saffron Cod ◽  
Crangon Septemspinosa

Analysis of stomach contents of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) collected at eight locations along the Alaskan coast showed significant seasonal and regional differences in diet. During the spring–summer period saffron cod (Eleginus gracilis) was the most important food item in the nearshore zone of the northeastern Bering and southeastern Chukchi Seas. In that period shrimps (Pandalus spp., Eualus spp., Lebbeus polaris, and Crangon septemspinosa) were the major food in the northcentral Bering Sea, hyperiid amphipods (Parathemisto libellula) in the central Beaufort Sea and euphausiids (Thysanoessa spp.) in the boundary region (Barrow area) between the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. During late summer–early autumn hyperiid amphipods were important foods in the central Beaufort and the southeastern Chukchi. The autumn diet of seals in Norton Sound included mainly saffron cod During winter–early spring Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) predominated the diet at all localities. During spring and early summer in the northeastern Bering and southeastern Chukchi seas the amount of saffron cod consumed was directly correlated with age. In the Beaufort Sea during autumn and winter Arctic cod were eaten in similar amounts by all age-classes. An analysis of the energy value and quantities of prey consumed indicates that prey species that occur in concentrations (Arctic and saffron cods, hyperiid amphipods, euphausiids and some shrimps) are of particular importance in the annual nutrition of ringed seals. These seals may be food limited in areas and during times when these kinds of prey are not available.Key words: food habits, Phoca hispida, ringed seals, Arctic cod, saffron cod, crustaceans, Alaska

scholarly journals Diet of the ringed seal (Phoca hispida) in Greenland

1998 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helle Siegstad ◽  
Pia Barner Neve ◽  
Mads Peter Heide-Jørgensen ◽  
Tero Härkönen
Keyword(s):  
Prey Item ◽  
Open Water ◽  
Polar Cod ◽  
Phoca Hispida ◽  
Greenland Halibut ◽  
Arctic Cod ◽  
East Greenland ◽  
West Greenland ◽  
Important Prey ◽  
Age Related

Analysis of 454 stomachs of ringed seals (Phoca hispida) collected from the Inuit hunt in six municipalities in West Greenland and 30 alimentary tracts collected by scientists in East Greenland, showed seasonal and regional differences in the diet. In Northwest and East Greenland polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and Arctic cod (Arctogadus glacialis) were the most dominant prey items. In contrast, seals in central West Greenland mainly preyed upon amphipods (Parathemisto spp.), capelin (Mallotus villosus), redfish (Sebastes sp.) and squid (Gonatus sp.), while capelin was the most important prey item in Southwest Greenland. The material from Uummannaq demonstrates seasonal variations, as euphausiids were common in spring, and snailfish (Liparis spp.) dominated from October through January, where after snailfish disappeared with the formation of fast ice. No age related differences in the diet were found in stomach samples from Avanersuaq, but in Upemavik crustaceans were more abundant in stomach samples from younger immature seals. Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) was only present in samples from seals older than 4 years. In Upemavik Arctic cod was the dominant prey item for seals caught in May at the iceedge, whereas polar cod dominated the samples from seals caught in open water.

scholarly journals Feeding habits of harp and hooded seals in Greenland waters

2000 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Finn O Kapel
Keyword(s):  
Gadus Morhua ◽  
Atlantic Cod ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Minor Role ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Polar Cod ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Greenland Halibut ◽  
Important Prey

Results of stomach contents analyses of harp and hooded seals collected in West Greenland waters in the period 1986-1993 are reviewed, and compared with published data and circumstantial information from local hunters. The diet of harp seals in this region is variable but consists mainly of pelagic crustaceans (Thysanoessa spp. and Parathemisto libellula) and small fish species like capelin (Mallotus villosus), sandeel (Ammodytes spp.), polar cod (Boreogadus saida) and Arctic cod (Arctogadus glacialis). Species of importance for commercial fisheries in Greenland, such as Northern prawn (Pandalus borealis), Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), and Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) play a minor role in the diet of harp seals in this area.Variation in the diet of hooded seals is less well documented, but in addition to the species also taken by harp seals, larger demersal fishes like Greenland halibut, redfish (Sebastes spp.), cod, and wolffish (Anarhichas minor) are apparently important prey items.

scholarly journals Reproductive strategy, egg characteristics and embryonic development of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)

2012 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 342-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosario Domínguez-Petit ◽  
Patrick Ouellet ◽  
Yvan Lambert
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Reproductive Strategy ◽  
Biochemical Composition ◽  
Incubation Temperature ◽  
Life Stage ◽  
Early Life Stage ◽  
Greenland Halibut ◽  
Hatching Time ◽  
Greenland Halibut Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides ◽  
Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides

Abstract Domínguez-Petit, R., Ouellet, P., and Lambert, Y. 2013. Reproductive strategy, egg characteristics and embryonic development of Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 70: 342–351. Despite the commercial importance of Greenland halibut (GH), important gaps exist in our knowledge of the reproductive and early life stage biology for this species. The present study examined through laboratory experiments the spawning strategy, realized fecundity, egg characteristics, biochemical composition, and embryonic development of GH. The results confirmed the hypothesis that GH is a single-batch spawner producing large eggs, resulting in low realized fecundity. Embryonic development and hatching time are highly dependent on incubation temperature; 50% hatching occurred after 46, 30, and 24 days at 2, 4, and 6°C, respectively. Few changes in the biochemical composition of the eggs are observed during embryonic development. Newly hatched larvae are not well developed, having a large yolk sac, no pigmentation and incomplete development of the jaws. Egg specific density confirmed the mesopelagic distribution of the eggs at sea. However, important buoyancy changes occurring in the last 3–4 days before hatching indicate that larvae hatch higher in the water column. These results are important for understanding advection and dispersion processes of GH eggs and larvae and the connectivity between spawning grounds and nursery areas.

Use of Parasites for Separating Stocks of Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides) in the Canadian Northwest Atlantic

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (10) ◽  
pp. 2175-2181 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. R. Arthur ◽  
E. Albert
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Coast ◽  
Large Fish ◽  
Adult Fish ◽  
Greenland Halibut ◽  
Pseudoterranova Decipiens ◽  
Saguenay Fjord ◽  
Greenland Halibut Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides ◽  
Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides ◽  
Biological Tags ◽  
Discriminant Function Analyses

The usefulness of parasites as biological tags for stocks of Greenland halibut (Reinharditius hippoglossoides) occurring off the Atlantic coast of Canada and in the Gulf of St. Lawrence was investigated. Nonparametric discriminant function analyses of eight collections comprising a total of 231 large fish (>39 cm) using counts for selected parasite taxa (Corynosoma strumosum juvenile, Otodistomum sp. metacercaria, Contracaecinea spp. larva, Anisakis simplex larva, and Pseudoterranova decipiens larva) gave accurate results (almost 100% correct classification) for the separation of fish from the Gulf of St. Lawrence from those collected from adjacent areas of the Saguenay Fjord and the Atlantic Ocean off Labrador. Little, if any, mixing of subadult or adult fish apparently occurs among these areas.

scholarly journals Chromosome-level assembly reveals a putative Y-autosomal fusion in the sex determination system of the Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne-Laure Ferchaud ◽  
Claire Mérot ◽  
Eric Normandeau ◽  
Jiannis Ragoussis ◽  
Charles Babin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sex Determination ◽  
Single Molecule ◽  
Sex Chromosome ◽  
Whole Genome Sequence ◽  
Greenland Halibut ◽  
Syntenic Relationship ◽  
Greenland Halibut Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides ◽  
Reinhardtius Hippoglossoides ◽  
Sex Determination System ◽  
Chromosome Level

Abstract Despite the commercial importance of Greenland Halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), important gaps still persist in our knowledge of this species, including its reproductive biology and sex determination mechanism. Here, we combined single-molecule sequencing of long reads (Pacific Sciences) with chromatin conformation capture sequencing (Hi-C) data to assemble the first chromosome-level reference genome for this species. The high-quality assembly encompassed more than 598 Megabases (Mb) assigned to 1 594 scaffolds (scaffold N50 = 25 Mb) with 96% of its total length distributed among 24 chromosomes. Investigation of the syntenic relationship with other economically important flatfish species revealed a high conservation of synteny blocks among members of this phylogenetic clade. Sex determination analysis revealed that, similar to other teleost fishes, flatfishes also exhibit a high level of plasticity and turnover in sex-determination mechanisms. A low-coverage whole-genome sequence analysis of 198 individuals revealed that Greenland Halibut possesses a male heterogametic XY system and several putative candidate genes implied in the sex determination of this species. Our study also suggests for the first time in flatfishes that a putative Y-autosomal fusion could be associated with a reduction of recombination typical of the early steps of sex chromosome evolution.

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